Yosemite National Park, California

the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers

kit + brad's elopement in yosemite | adventure wedding at taft point | national park elopement photographer

After e-mailing back and forth for months to plan their elopement, when I finally met Kit she got teary-eyed and hugged me for a solid two minutes.  I think that’s probably the best way to explain the kind of person she is, but if you need more evidence for how loving and caring she can be, I’ll also mention that she hand sewed us a quilt as a thank you gift. She’s truly one of the best. Rewind a few months though, when Kit first reached out to me about eloping to her fiancé, Brad, it was clearly a bit on a whim. They’d never been to Yosemite, and had never considered an adventure elopement, but when pursuing wedding ideas on The Knot, she came across some of my photos of an elopement on Taft Point up high above Yosemite Valley, and she said to herself…“I want to do that.” As someone who had called off two weddings in her lifetime (her friends call her the Runaway Bride!), the idea of skipping the big fan-fare and hiking into the wilderness together felt right. They clicked through our portfolio together and Brad was on board. I knew I loved Kit from our initial phone call, and I especially loved how obviously she’d surprised herself by going for such a wedding plan! She made comments like “what kind of 47-year-old woman does this?!” to which I responded “the kind I want to be friends with!”

Growing up in the same town, they’d know each other since high school days, but they were 5 years apart so Brad says he “wouldn’t have dated her back then” :) but fate brought them together seven years ago, through a facebook post asking a favor, and an exchange of numbers. The favor ended up being unneeded, but they opted for a date instead. According to Kit, “We are simply good for each other. We balance each other…We both feel like the lucky one in the relationship.” After spending the day with them for their elopement, I have to add they’re absolutely hilarious together. Despite both of them wondering how they’d enjoy 4 hours of photos (I’m pretty sure all of our couples wonder this until they meet us!), they had each other laughing the whole time, which obviously makes amazing photos!! Their ceremony was so beautifully touching, with Sharon of Inner Light Ceremonies, taking the time to learn their story and detail so much about them. We finished the day with a stunning sunset and some delicious Bourbon compliments of fellow hikers! It was beautiful, and honestly sad to say goodbye when we got back to the cars. These two are some of the best around and we feel so lucky to have been a part of their elopement day!

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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads in their big white van, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US including California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.

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